Parasite
by Hitsuiro Issa
Summary: Watanuki is not used to a roommate. Especially if said roommate has been getting a lot of attention lately from Doumeki, and that he looks exactly like the spirit seer...in a more innocent kind of way. Rated T for safety. xD Another work in progress.
1. Chapter 1

**Parasite**

**A/N: A work in progress. The idea had been swimming in my head for quite a while now, it almost felt as if I would lose a limb if I ever forget writing it down. This is not the only reason the Alpha and Omega is taking too long- sorry about that XD- but also because a certain school project is keeping me busy. Dx So anyway, this is basically a happy/drama fic, with a sort of Chobits atmosphere. Or something. Enjoy. xD **

**And oh, Kimi isn't really an OC. I think. **

-

Watanuki Kimihiro is not a happy man. Despite his current luck when it came to being protected by a certain jerk, and despite the fact that the said jerk offered his protective services for free (save a bento for lunch everyday), there is no visible reason to label himself as 'happy'. Being protected was one thing, stalked was another- and the precious fact that he was working for an alcoholic glutton Time Witch and a talking black manjuu ball, well, was he really deserving to be called 'happy'?

Or maybe it's the insistent vibe he gets whenever he falls asleep or when he sees the usual ayakashi- it's the kind of feeling long stripped of fear, but then again, the said emotion is still eminent in his actions. Differently, though, it mostly tells him to watch his luck- for as much and as high his current luck storage is to be, there was no denying that someday all that would be long gone.

It's never occurred to him, though, how fortunate it was for them to have him stumble across their lives. It's never crossed Watanuki's stubborn mind that Doumeki was very grateful to having met Watanuki, and the same with Yuuko and all the other not-so-obvious ones; he's never really the kind of person to count his blessings since, at the start of it all, it seemed that he never had any.

So when came upon a few disturbing sounds that night, he wasn't sure whether as to count this one as another obvious nightmare or file it under 'constructive and destructive realism'- he never knew for sure, for as it turned out, it was neither.

With a broom in hand, he came closer to the source of the sound, pounding gently at the thin walls that built his home. Most of the noise came from the slightly ajar closet in his apartment, and as the spirit seer came closer, the sounds didn't bother to cease- moreover, the squirming continued. It took every bit of his willpower to reach out a hand and open the closet door a bit wider- and an extra bit of nerve to stare into the darkness that dwelled within the cabinet.

Then something fell out, a human-sized something, and once it did the closet door closed again, and the sounds ceased. Watanuki, oblivious to the lack of sounds, screamed when the human-sized something brush his foot, and when he realized that the said thing was a human boy, and when he noticed that the human boy was actually his look-alike, save from the fact that the thing had antennae, and that it was naked.

His screaming caused him to fall back on his butt, and he stared wide-eyed as his look-alike raised his own Watanuki-head slowly to level his eyes with another blue-and-golden pair. The antennaed Watanuki had rounder eyes, and a more timid air about him- and the first thing he said, of all the words and sounds that existed in the world of reality, was "Nyuu!"

Watanuki wasn't sure as to whether be greatly annoyed or scared. It seemed very cowardly to do the second, obviously, and it was quite rude to be entirely pissed at something that looked so...innocent. Yes, he was quite aware the looks can be deceiving, having to have dealt with thousands of shape-shifting ayakashis and whatnot, but this particular spirit (or whatever) was in the entire world cute. The Watanuki-with-antennae tilted its head this way and that, antennae twitching as to feel, and smiling in a very innocent and embarrassed way that showed four long yet harmless-looking teeth peeking out of his little smiling mouth. And he wasn't wearing glasses at all.

The two stared at each other for a while, the only thing moving being a pair of antennae searching about. Somewhere at their side, the sliding windows of Watanuki's small apartment slid open, and in came the figure of a certain jerk Watanuki would have rathered gone.

Doumeki Shizuka was used to optical illusions. If one would spend most of his time with a spirit bait like Watanuki Kimihiro, the skill to optical illusion handling was something well-learned and well-kept for the rest of your living days. What he had before him was obviously not something to make him lose his cool, though- but it brought out a much gentler and dignified look of surprise.

He looked from the real Watanuki and then at the other with antennae, frowning. "I never knew you had a brother who liked cosplay." He said.

Watanuki whipped around to glare daggers at him, as if daring the archer to say anything else. Of course, Doumeki was also used to Watanuki's -harmless- death threats, and approached the much more harmless one to stare directly at.

He noted the slight differences in physical sight, reaching up to stroke one antenna with his left hand. The movement made the boy shrink back, blushing furiously, and mumbling what seemed to sound like "nyuu" again and again. Doumeki leaned back and glanced at the real Watanuki, the noisy one with no antennae.

"Cosplay?" He probed, but at that the spirit seer violently shook his head, pointing sharply at the cowering look-alike. "COSPLAY? I DON'T EVEN HAVE A BROTHER, YOU ASS--"

"Nyuu!" The other Watanuki cried, as soon as the words left the original's lips. It hid behind a nearby couch, and from where Doumeki and the real Watanuki sat, it was clear that the thing was trembling madly in fear.

"Cut it some slack," Doumeki said quietly, getting to his feet and approaching the cowering other. "It's clearly frightened."

The arched knelt before the trembling Watanuki-twin, and noted that it was also something else.

"It's naked."

In other words.

Watanuki quickly strode away, just to return with a really large polo shirt he had randomly taken from his drawer. He didn't bother with underwear, though, for even if the thing did look a lot like him, what he used to clothe his privates are not to be lent to anybody else. Period.

Doumeki took the shirt from his companion's hands, buttoning it open and slipping the now confused and very embarrassed Watanuki-like into the shirt. Once it was closed, however, the little thing seemed to enjoy the comfort and warmth the shirt gave him, and his worried face contorted into a cheerful smile.

The original spirit seer sat beside Doumeki, watching his twin play with the hanging sleeves and nibbling on the cuffs. "Can it talk?" He asked quietly.

"Probably," Was Doumeki's reply then thought about it, adding: "But it'd be a lot better if he wasn't as noisy as you are if it could."

Immediately, Watanuki spazzed out, but Doumeki ignored him and focused his attention to conversing with this quiet version of Watanuki Kimihiro. He, a person who rarely spoke, wasn't quite sure what to begin with- and he settled to telling the little look-alike basic information like, for example, their names.

"I'm Doumeki Shizuka," he started, pointing at himself. He then brought a hand and placed it on the real Watanuki's shoulder. "And this is Watanuki Kimihiro, who you look a lot like."

The antennaed being tilted his head, eyes first exploring Doumeki's stern features, then at Watanuki's pent up face. After a while, it said happily, "Doumeki-nyuu! Watanuki-nyuu!"

Watanuki blinked. Well, that was unexpected.

"Huh. So it can talk." Doumeki commented beside him, crossing his arms. With a quick gesture that almost resembled a slap across the face, "OF COURSE IT CAN TALK" was heard from an easily indignant Watanuki.

Though the remark was intended to unnerve Doumeki of some sort (never once did it work though), the Watanuki-lookalike took it as some sort of threat, and trembled in fear once more. The real spirit seer blinked at his cowering twin before palm facing himself and mumbling about a certain stupid jerk and his lack of mannerisms towards others, as to which Doumeki replied, "You're the one who keeps scaring it," resulting to more spazzing attacks.

Doumeki turned to the quieter version of Watanuki with one finger plugged in his ear. "You better hide your antennae, Kimi." He shifted a bit towards the little twin; "You won't be able to leave this place if you walk around with them peaking out."

All too suddenly, the spazzing had stopped without Doumeki's notice, and as the newly-named Kimi chirped with another cheerful "nyuu!", the archer turned around to see what had finally got the spirit seer to shut up.

Only to be met with a Watanuki glaring daggers at him, a face mixed with disbelief and indignation (again).

"...what did you call him?"

Doumeki thought it best to answer honestly, and shrugged. "Ah, it's Kimi."

"KIMI-"

"You know, as in Kimi - Hiro. Since he looks like you and all."

Watanuki threw his arms waaaay above him- the same way a cat bristled and stretched to show how frightening it is- and screamed into the other boy's ear, "WHY THE HELL SHOULD WE USE MY FIRST NAME THEN?"

"Because 'Kimi' suits it," was the archer's monotonous answer.

It was one of those times when Watanuki would have gladly poured poison into the taller boy's throat, or hot scalding water into his nostrils. It's also one of those scenarios that clearly showed how unhappy Watanuki was, despite the benefits the big oaf offered him. The spirit seer thought it to be a good reason for all his despair, because putting up with a stone-faced bottomless pit was something any normal people can't handle. And the fact that he wasn't the only bottomless pit around.

"Let him stay with you," Doumeki advised him, getting to his feet. "Bye."

Watanuki could only scream at the archer's back as he left through the window, and disappeared into the night (taking note to purposefully forget putting soy sauce into the jerk's bento), before turning to sigh at the sight of Kimi playing innocently on his coach.

It felt like he had gotten himself into another mess with a seemingly innocent ayakashi again.

"Maah, Watanuki-nyuu!" Said his twin happily, on all fours and looking dangerously adorable; "Watanuki-nyuu! Watanuki-nyuu!"

Watanuki threw the pillow beside him angrily at the wall. Destiny was probably mocking him now. In fact, he could almost hear the jibes Yuuko was going to give him the next day. And it was around 1 in the morning, with school tomorrow! Voice still volumed to a deafening extent, Watanuki screamed his anger to the sky- with the first thing that pissed him all too much.

"IT'S WATANUKI-KUN! USE KUN!"

-

**A/N: Well, chapter one is up then. It's too short to start with, but hopefully the next few will be longer. Sigh. I'll get to work on A&O now, before anybody sues. Reviews are always welcome, my beautiful people! xD **


	2. Chapter 2

**Parasite**

**A/N: It took me so much time, but I'm happy with how this chapter turned out. And my writing is recovering from a serious scattered session- if you guys know what I mean. xD I still have no distinct plot for this, though, oh well, but a few filler chapters won't hurt. :D **

-

Doumeki was used to walking over to Yuuko's shop early in the morning- around 6 am- every Saturday, ever since he realized he could finally see through the magical barriers that had once obscured the said shop from his sight. It was a rather peaceful and seemingly sunny day, and the streets were silent and calm, but as soon as Doumeki approached the two separate beams that resembled an arch leading towards the eccentric shop, the silence was broken.

It wasn't surprising- and never will be- to know that it was Watanuki making all the noise, though this time it wasn't ranting or anything- but the indignation was there, he supposed, and was about to journey all the way up to the front porch when something small and thin slammed into him.

He blinked his surprised as he stared down at the figure trembling against him, quickly abandoning the notion that it was Watanuki who did. No matter how much the resemblance seemed to be, this one had antennae.

Kimi.

"What's-" he was about to ask, but as he did the person he had been thinking about chose that particular moment to exit the house and scream with a broom in hand. Doumeki raised his gaze, expecting an answer to be shown- instead of said- his golden orbs resting on the spirit seer.

"The cockroach is gone, Kimi! There's nothing to be afraid of! AND YOU, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

It gave Doumeki a slight tinge of amusement when he realized that the seer was jealous. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around the quivering figure still embedded deep into the front of his clothes, tempting another scream from the spirit bait standing a few feet away.

"I'm comforting him," Doumeki said, and it took every single vibe of his willpower not to smile at the look of exasperation on Watanuki's face; "You're scaring him."

"I AM NOT SCARING HIM, YOU JUST WANT SOME STUPID REASON TO HIDE THE FACT THAT YOU ARE MOLESTING THE POOR GUY!"

"What's this entire racket about?" Came a female voice, and with a tinkle coming from the wind chimes, Yuuko Ichihara came into view- with the usual extravagant outfit, of course. "Ah, Doumeki-kun. How nice of you to visit."

"Hn. I was worried Watanuki might scare Kimi away," He said nonchalantly, looking down to prove his point.

Kimi chose that particular moment to look up at him too, and once he did, their noses brushed. At first, the boy's whole face turned red, and as Doumeki wondered if it was even possible for anyone to look like a tomato, there came a somewhat ecstatic, strangled sound.

"Nyuu~"

"Hn?"

"Nyuuuuu...!"

Immediately, Doumeki bent down to better catch the fainting boy, and cradled him in his arms, looking befuddled. "What happened to him?"

"Ah, our Kimi-chan faints when he's overly excited," explained Yuuko, smiling at them with the kind that clearly stated, 'Ah-hah, I know something you don't'.

"How inconvenient," was all Doumeki could say.

"Yes, well." Yuuko waved her arm, several strands of her ebony hair elegantly caught in her fingers; "Kimi-chan, after all, is no ordinary human."

"Which is why we should be asking him what he's doing here," mumbled an annoyed Watanuki, and Doumeki took note at how uncanny this seemed- for in the first place, Watanuki had an all-too soft spot towards helpless strangers, even if the said 'helpless stranger' wasn't so helpless at all. And secondly, he couldn't help noticing how the creases between the spirit seer's brows increased after every second his look-a-like stayed in the archer's arms, and he couldn't help smiling at the sheer nerve of it.

As expected, Yuuko had also noticed the difference, and was smiling too.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO SMILING ABOUT?" Yelled the bespectacled boy, even more pissed. To prove his anger, he threw the broom in his hand on the floor, sending speckles of dust flying around him in his rage.

"Mou, Watanuki-kun, not too loud! You'll wake Kimi-chan up!" Yuuko jibed childishly, feigning mock hurt.

But it was already too late. The small boy began to stir in Doumeki's arms, and as soon as the archer had gotten the boy back on his feet, there came another "nyuuu!" and the sight of a very red Watanuki in his arms.

"Say, I'll take him for a walk." said the taller boy, leaning back a bit as to avoid the searching antennae; "Yuuko, is there anyway to hide those things?"

"Ohohoho, it'll cost you," was the reply, but Doumeki was too used to it to even bother reacting. And once that point was clear, Yuuko clapped her hands and a bouncing manjuu ball jumped onto the Time witch's shoulder and stretched out its paw with something small and circular in it (almost blending in with the manjuu's color except the golden ornament hanging onto it), which Yuuko took and extended out to the stoic archer.

Doumeki was handed a small dark choker with a small bell dangling on the front, and as he carefully placed it around the smaller boy's neck, the antennae faded from view. Doumeki stood a couple steps back to admire his handiwork.

"Nyuu?" mewled the boy, looking up to where his antennae had been. "Doumeki-nyuu, where is..."

"It's gone," was all Doumeki allowed himself to say, before taking the smaller boy's hand and pulling him out the gate. "We'll be at the park." He called back.

"Hmhm, this will be interesting, right Mokona?" Yuuko asked, smiling mischievously at the manjuu on her shoulder, who also smiled back. "Obviously."

They failed to see their own Watanuki, already quiet and sulky in the distance.

-

No matter how much he thought he needed it, the silence between him and Watanuki- or rather, a look-a-like- was unnerving. Mostly due to the fact that he was accustomed to a talking, cursing Watanuki, and that he had once made the brave assumption that all Watanukis of any other dimension had the deformity of being noisy and the insistent urge to scream into the taller boy's ears.

He was wrong, obviously. The version he had with him was timid, naive, child-like (he makes sure to underline that point twice). He never stepped out of line, never bothered to speak for himself, and (probably the most uncomforting trait) never ceased nor failed to apologize (faulty or not). He remembered, earlier during their walk, that Kimi had bowed and apologized three times straight to a person he had accidentally bumped in the first place (the poor guy had nothing to say at all), and from whom Doumeki had trouble separating because of the simple reason of the boy's need to apologize about twenty more times. Doumeki had never been this rude before towards a stranger that meant no harm, but it was for both him and the guy's benefits should he drag the timid boy away to a less crowded spot.

Despite all this, though, Kimi was indeed amusing to be with. Besides being troublesome, of course. Simple things like the falling of leaves and the fluttering of butterflies amused the boy to an incredibly high level, and sometimes, Doumeki could catch himself just staring at the smaller boy with him, whose face was lit up with an innocent look of joy, a soft smile on his face.

Maybe he can get used to this.

They had made their way towards the park, and sat on a bench not occupied by any teenage lovers of the sort. As was his gesture, he stood to buy two cones of ice cream for the both of them, and it even made him smile secretly to himself when he caught the look of panic that crossed his companion's face when he stood to leave. It surprised him, though, that when he returned with the cold treats in both hands, to see the boy looking up at him in happiness and relief, eyes already swimming in tears.

He couldn't help but say, as he handed Kimi a cone of ice cream, "You're like a child," which earned him a curious look from the younger boy.

"A human child?" he asked, small voice so soft that it could be counted as a whisper.

"Yes," He replied, smiling; "A human child."

"A human child," repeated Kimi, face small and somewhat focused, with his eyes slightly reduced to narrower slits, and lips pursed as if he was pouting. "Ah, is that a bad thing, Doumeki-nyuu?"

The sides of his mouth twitched, threatening a smile. "No."

Kimi's expression changed to a less strained one, looking incredibly relieved. Doumeki could feel a sudden urge to reach out just then, longing to slide it onto smooth cheeks- so he fisted the one on his lap and tightened his hold onto the ice cream with the other. "Would you rather be compared to something else?" He asked gently.

"I- no," A soft rustling from the hand clenching at the fabric of his lap, "I would like to be something else, though." There was a somewhat distant, blissful tone in his voice.

A short pause, with Doumeki willing to keep any obvious emotions to himself, and then- "Eat your ice cream now, it's going to melt."

"I'm sorry- ah, nyuu!"

Yes, he certainly can get used to this.

-

When they returned, they encountered a very annoyed-looking Watanuki Kimihiro, glowering at them before the entrance gates of the Dimensional witch's shop.

The spirit bait's and the archer's eyes locked for a moment, one filled with exasperation and perhaps even jealousy, the other the usual calm hue. Kimi, entirely innocent yet sensitive to the emotions raging from the stare-off, chose that particular moment to give out a short cry-"nyuu!"- before disappearing behind the wide back of the stoic teen with him. The young look-a-like could feel threatening eyes follow his movement, and he pressed into the archer in fear of being murder with such a glare.

A second passed before the hurricane came.

"You guys took your time."

Well, a second or two anyway.

"We had some ice cream and walked around a bit." Was the Doumeki's nonchalant reply.

"Would it normally take you an hour, you big oaf?"

"Why are you so angry?" A change of topic, but then again, this was how Doumeki always won the verbal sparring.

"I-why shouldn't I be angry? It's almost noon! I have no idea what to prepare, and if you guys would eat here, and I still have to do the groceries!" Watanuki panted after his rant, exhausted and out of breath. "Maybe it would have been better if you had a date out instead."

"Oh? But wouldn't you only try to stop us?"

Watanuki had started to make his way past them, down the street, when the archer's voice pricked his ears. "Eh- What?"

"Wouldn't you get angry?"

Despite his best efforts, the spirit seer was certainly trembling, as if straining himself from saying something really embarrassing- and blurting out the truth. "I'm angry right now since you never told me you had plans in the first place."

"So it's not jealousy then?"

"WHY THE HELL WOULD IT BE JEALOUSY?" screamed a further indignant Watanuki, causing his twin to vibrate with small tremors behind the archer.

"I dunno," Doumeki replied, and then turned to the smaller boy cowering behind him, saying gently, "Why don't you just stay with Yuuko? It'd be healthier for your ears if you do that."

"DOUME-"

"Besides," Doumeki hurried on, overlapping whatever the real Watanuki had to rant about, "Watanuki might not take care of you very well, since he's so jealous of his little Kimi."

"N-nyuu, okay." Kimi nodded, obediently. "I'll stay with Yuuko-nyuu, if Doumeki-nyuu says so."

"That's alright then." The archer turned towards the now pouting spirit seer before him, daring to smile a bit, and successfully earning a more calming glare than previous ones. "Shall we shop for groceries now?"

Watanuki stared at him as if he had suddenly grown two heads.

"You- you're-"

Doumeki nodded Kimi towards the shop, who quickly followed after studying the other two, and Doumeki walked the small distance that separated him from the spirit seer. "Stop looking like an idiot," he said quietly, but his tone was so soft that it hardly seemed like an insult at all; "Let's get a move on, I'm getting hungry." He extended out a hand.

Blushing hard, Watanuki mumbled, "Bastard," but took hold of the offered hand anyway.

-

**A/N: Someone was kind and thoughtful enough to get me the xxxHolic soundtrack collection for Valentine's day. That really helped me with my work, especially the tracks entitled "Shizuka no hibi" and "Deja view", for they were both soothing and sad at the same time. –wistful- aaah, sweet shonen-ai. :D **

**And don't worry, you don't have to order from ebay or anything else that may cost you if you really want to listen to these songs. You can download them from Kimihiro DOT net, heehee. xD **


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